Friday, February 6, 2009

IL Sheriffs Association Resolution in Favor of CCW

Just for the record, and so I can find it when I want it:

Illinois Sheriffs’ AssociationRESOLUTION 2009-1

Whereas, the Illinois Sheriffs’ Association is a statewide organization representing the one hundred and two Sheriffs of Illinois who are constitutional officers who have sworn to uphold the constitution of the United States and the State of Illinois; and

Whereas, the Illinois Sheriffs’ Association conducted a survey of Sheriffs across Illinois; and,

Whereas, ninety percent (90%) of those responding support concealed carry in Illinois if adequate training and safeguards are included; and,

Whereas, the Illinois Sheriffs’ Association Legislative Committee met on November 19, 2008, and appointed a special committee consisting of Sheriffs from all geographic areas of the state and that committee has met and discussed the specific recommendations for the procedures in obtaining a concealed carry permit; and;

Whereas, the committee has formulated their recommendations to the Executive Board of the Illinois Sheriffs’ Association and the Executive Board has recommended that this resolution be presented to the full body at our General Session on Tuesday, February 3, 2009, at the Winter Training Conference in Moline, Illinois; and,

Whereas, the general provisions of a conceal carry act in Illinois should include the following:

Permits should be issued by a state agency to insure consistency in evaluation and screening.

Individuals who receive a concealed carry permit should receive adequate training including basic knowledge of firearms, the proper handling of a firearm, live fire exercises for range qualification, instruction and testing on use of force as a citizen including the liability of that use.

Applications should be processed by the Sheriff’s office including the ability of the Sheriff to articulate specified reasons why the permit should be denied and those objections should be considered by the state before issuing a permit.

For the purpose of officer safety, a concealed carry permit should be an identifiable code, background or other means to show that an individual has been issued a permit to carry a concealed firearm on the person’s driver’s license, FOID card and state identification.

Therefore, be it resolved, this 3rd day of February, 2009, that the Illinois Sheriffs’ Association, by a majority of those voting, support the right of law abiding citizens to possess and carry a concealed firearm for the purpose of protecting their life and families; and be it further resolved that a suitable copy of this resolution be delivered to the General Assembly of the State of Illinois.

Freakin' sweet. And yes, I know some of their conditions above look onerous to some of us, but hey, folks, we're already negotiating for the "right" to purchase a license in order to exercise a Constitutional right. This is still major progress in Illinois.

3 comments:

It depends on the "articulable reason" clause. If there are safeguards to prevent sheriffs from finding a reason to deny most licenses and allowing denied applicants the right of appeal, it is progress. If sheriffs can routinely deny most applications, I'd be afraid Illinois politics will make this like New York City licensing.

There are two bills out there right now, and neither allows sheriffs to veto LTC for anyone. My understanding is that the sheriffs have told IllinoisCarry's representatives that they want to be involved in the process so that they have a chance to send their input on up the line, but they were told that this would not mean an actual veto power.

IllinoisCarry supports LTC issued by the Department of Professional Regulation--NOT the sheriffs and NOT the Illinois State Police.